- the reflexive form of
it 1 (intensifier): even the money itself won't convince me - (preceded by a copula)
its normal or usual self: my cat isn't itself today
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
it•self /ɪtˈsɛlf/USA pronunciation
pron.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- PronounsThis pronoun, a reflexive form of it,is used as the direct or indirect object of a verb or the object of a preposition to refer to the same thing as the subject:The battery recharges itself (= The battery recharges the same battery). The bird built a nest for itself.
- This pronoun is used to give emphasis to a noun or pronoun, not a person:which itself is a fact; The land itself was not for sale.
- This pronoun is used to refer to the normal or usual self (when not a person):The injured cat was never quite itself again.
it•self
(it self′),USA pronunciation pron.
- a reflexive form of it: The battery recharges itself.
- an emphatic appositive of it, which, that, this, or a noun:which itself is also true; Even without flowers, the bowl itself is beautiful.
- (used as the object of a preposition or as the direct or indirect object of a verb):The chameleon's ability to change color is a protection for itself.
- its normal or customary self:After much tender care, the puppy was soon itself again.
- bef. 1000; Middle English; Old English hit self. See it1, self
- See myself.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'by itself' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
absolute
- accommodation line
- ampersand
- black flag
- bound form
- breastplate
- centering
- crest
- criticality
- cubic
- cumulative evidence
- degree
- exponent
- flamenco
- free city
- free form
- half title
- idempotent
- lone
- miss
- negative flag
- per se
- pilot flag
- power
- prime number
- quarantine flag
- raise
- red flag
- root
- self-acting
- self-governed
- self-propelled
- self-sown
- solitaire
- solitary
- sonant
- specimen plant
- square
- square root
- substance
- swinging door
- syllabic
- tarboosh
- voluntary